Hiram Halle

He ran his a personal WPA between 1936 and 1939, bringing European Jewish exiles to Pound Ridge to work on refurbishing vintage houses in the area.

Founded in 1933 by Alvin Johnson, the University in Exile was dedicated to rescuing scholars who had lost their positions under Hitler during that time.

[2] Between 1933 and 1945, the New School helped hundreds of European scholars and artists, including Mario Einaudi, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Wilhelm Reich, and Gaetano Salvemini, in the social sciences and history, and Herbert Berghof, Fritz Eichenberg, Erwin Piscator, and George Szell in the arts.

Halle was elected president of UOP in 1919, the year C. P. Dubbs perfected a continuous-circulation process that proved superior to the original patent and to any other method of refining oil.

[4] As reported in The New York Times By Barbara Crossette at May 29, 1977 The Riverside research and development laboratory was conceived in 1921 by Hiram J. Halle, the chief executive officer of Universal Oil Products (now simply UOP), as a focal point where the best and brightest scientists could create new products and provide scientific support for the oil refining industry.

[5] He also purchased a former farm on Trinity Pass Road, moved some barns to the property, and used them to store his vast collection of English and American antiques.

Halle created a workshop on his property where his team of 60 laborers worked, and also paid locals to rebuild the stone walls and perform other repairs in town.

Halle also boasted a private collection of historically important books and documents, including the original edition of Richard Carmarden's A Caveat for the Quene (1570).

Additionally, Halle owned a now famous collection of Georgian furniture, paintings, works by Epstein, and many other important pieces of artwork.

Well-known actors and entertainers have flocked to Pound Ridge, New York and made it their homes, because of its small town quality, privacy, and easy commute to Manhattan.

Some famous residents, past and present, include: Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Christopher Reeve, Eartha Kitt, Ellen Barkin, Benny Goodman, Richard Gere, Mike Myers, Jessica Tandy, Jane Pauley, and many others.

The Library also offers activities such as The Adult Learning Center, arts and craft exhibits, films, concerts, lectures and book-discussion programs year round.